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 MUST READS 

Bitcoin SV Pops Off – Becoming Fifth Largest Cryptocurrency


Since our last letter, of all things, Bitcoin SV (BSV) rallied ~3x... 🤦

...And even reached the milestone of becoming the fourth largest crypto by "market cap" (It's since dropped to #5).

With all the noise surrounding their 250%-plus gains YTD, it calls for a quick refresher... an explanation of why the coin is surging... and why we're still staying far, far away from it as investors...

Here's everything you need to know, courtesy of @twobitidiot...
 

Bitcoin Options Making A Splash


It's safe to say Bitcoin options have had a strong start to 2020...

On Monday, Chicago exchange CME Group announced that their highly anticipated Bitcoin options were open for trading...

CME's launch followed Bakkt's Bitcoin options roll-out, which – relatively speaking – has been far less successful...

Bakkt has traded slightly more than $1M of Bitcoin for its options contract since its December 9 launch. CME Group, on the other hand, has already traded 55 contracts, worth about $2.1M, according to a spokeswoman.

It's worth noting that Binance-backed cryptocurrency derivatives exchange FTX launched Bitcoin options on Jan. 11. The CEO claimed that options trading volume on the exchange reached $1 million in about 2 hours.

To learn more about Bitcoin options and their impact on the markets, we suggest you check this out.
 

 SPONSORED 

America's Day of Reckoning Has Begun


Recently, a shadowy group in Washington made a fateful decision behind closed doors... that virtually guarantees an economic firestorm.

Few people know the dire consequences that were set in motion. Even fewer will talk about it. We're not alarmist. But we're not afraid of speaking the uncomfortable truth...

The choice is yours: Bury your head in the sand or click this link to discover what’s REALLY going on.

 

 DEEP DIVE 

Money Laundering in Cryptocurrency: How Criminals Moved Billions in 2019


Once a criminal has a pile of stolen cryptocurrency sitting in a wallet, the next question they have to answer is, “How am I going to turn this into cash without getting arrested?

So what do they do? In an excerpt from their latest Crypto Crime report, Chainalysis shows how criminals are laundering their cryptocurrency and cashing out into fiat. Looking at data, Chainalysis identified how exchanges have emerged as the leading destination for laundering funds.

According to the report, Binance and Huobi exchanges account for more than 50% of all the illicit Bitcoin received by exchanges – an amount totaling $1.4 billion.
 

Bitcoin Upgrade is 'Nearly Ready'


Bitcoin's Taproot/Schnorr upgrade proposal is 'nearly ready' as it moves through developer feedback phase...

The proposal for Taproot, a long-anticipated technological change to Bitcoin, was first unveiled by Bitcoin Core developer Greg Maxwell in January 2018.

Taproot offers a new degree of privacy by making all transactions – no matter how complicated – appear the same to observers of blockchain data. The code adds what supporters call "a much-needed feature to the network."

Learn more about it here...
 

Fidelity Investments' Crypto Arm Makes First Push into Europe


The cryptocurrency arm of Fidelity Investments, one of the world’s largest investment managers, has launched its first foray into Europe, opening a new front in efforts to drag digital money into mainstream investing.
 

 SPONSORED 

Bill Gates: “This Technology Will Be Worth 10 Microsofts”


Bill Gates – together with a few other billionaires – recently invested in a controversial new technology. He's on record as saying this technology will be worth 10 Microsofts. PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts it will create a $15 trillion fortune for early adopters and investors.

If you’re looking to strike it rich in tech stocks… this is THE technology to have on your radar right now.

 

 REGULATORY FRONT 

SEC Issues Alert About "Initial Exchange Offerings"


The SEC has issued an alert, urging investors to use caution before trading or investing in IEOs.

According to the agency:

"Be cautious if considering an investment in an IEO... IEOs may be conducted in violation of the federal securities laws and lack many of the investor protections of registered and exempt securities offerings."

If you remember, the SEC issued a very similar statement against ICO's in 2018 and then went on to take action against a number of them.

 

United Nations: Stay Away from North Korea Crypto Conference


UN sanctions experts are warning people not to attend a cryptocurrency conference in North Korea in February, flagging it as a likely sanctions violation.

The warning comes after the independent UN experts told the council that North Korea generated an estimated $2 billion for its weapons of mass destruction programs using “widespread and increasingly sophisticated” cyberattacks to steal from banks and cryptocurrency exchanges.

In April last year, North Korea held its first blockchain and cryptocurrency conference and an organizer told Reuters more than 80 organizations took part. An American who attended has been charged with violating U.S. sanctions.

 

 TWEET OF THE WEEK 

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